Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: News
Critics love our Three Sisters
posted by Karen McKevitt on Mon, Apr 18, 2011
in News , Our shows
Sarah Ruhl's new version of Chekhov's Three Sisters, exquisitely staged by Les Waters, earns rave reviews and the Chronicle's highest Little Man rating! Read some excerpts and then reserve your seats!
“Luminous! Working with a crisp, breezy new English version by Sarah Ruhl (based on a literal translation), Waters' sterling cast brings Chekhov's masterpiece to life as if it were taking place today. And 110 years ago. The action is as firmly grounded in 1901 by the actors' behavior as by Ilona Somogyi's provincial Russian gowns and Annie Smart's exquisitely detailed doll's house of a set… This is Chekhov orchestrated with the immediacy of Waters' stagings of Ruhl's Eurydice or In the Next Room. Its fierce beauty suffuses every moment and reaches for immortality.” -- San Francisco Chronicle
Exhilarating! Ruhl doesn't call attention to herself here. Instead she lets the play breathe with a simple, unmannered approach to the drama that makes it seem shockingly contemporary. She's faithful to the master dramatist, but she also opens the play up so that these "Three Sisters" speak to us as directly as if they lived next door. Waters' production is remarkable for its lack of artifice. The ensemble brings a freshness to each moment, a sense of discovery that lets us hear the play anew. There's a naturalness to the way the drama unfolds, the ebb and flow of the emotional outbursts, that leaves you breathless.” -- San Jose Mercury News / Contra Costa Times
“Magnificent… Held the audience suspended in the liminal space between hope and despair; love and utter ambivalence as well as a bit of humor. Directed with consummate skill by Les Waters and performed by a splendid ensemble cast, Berkeley Rep's Three Sisters is a powerful adaptation of Chekhov's classic that captures the lyricism and ennui of his work in an accessible and compelling production that is sure to be talked about for years to come.” -- Broadway World
“Beautifully staged, deeply compassionate... When you walk into the Thrust and drink in Annie Smart’s gorgeous set, it’s the first indication that we’re in good hands… Waters’ production pulls you in from the beginning and doesn’t let you go.” -- Chad Jones’ Theater Dogs
“In Berkeley Rep fashion, it is a sensational dramatic presentation… classic drama at its very best.” -- KGO AM
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More nominations for Ruined
posted by Karen McKevitt on Thu, Apr 14, 2011
in News , Our shows
After 125 performances in three cities, Ruined closed last weekend here at Berkeley Rep. Its run at La Jolla Playhouse earned numerous San Diego Critics Circle nominations and awards, and we just learned that the run at Huntington Theatre in Boston earned the following Elliot Norton Award nominations: Outstanding Production, Outstanding Ensemble, and Outstanding Actress (Tonye Patano).Congratulations all!
Photo of Tonye Patano with Joseph Kamal courtesy of kevinberne.com.
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Countdown to the BIG warehouse sale
posted by A Susskind on Wed, Apr 13, 2011
in Events , News
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
If you missed the last post about our giant warehouse sale, or if you're just looking for an unusual place to take a first date this weekend, keep in mind 937 Carleton in Berkeley (not in Oakland). On Friday and Saturday (April 15 and 16) from 10am to 4pm our staff will be on hand to hook you up with some great deals on some unusual wares. Today I swung by to take some photos of the awesome items we have for sale. Keep in mind, many of the items pictured are props and costumes that have been on our stage -- you could even walk away in the shoes worn by Laura Bush!* The coolest items go fast and everything is cash only. Come early for the selection, come late for the deals!
Take home a poster from BRT's archives
Upscale chairs for your upscale home
A mountain to spruce up your H.O. Gauge Train Set
Hats!
Hats!
And more hats!
Assorted awesomeness
Costumes
A piano costume! (You gotta see it to believe it)
Bert won't bite!
Something fishy?
Find the perfect gift for all types
See you this weekend!
*As played by Kate Eifrig in Tiny Kushner.
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Congratulations to Semifreddi's
posted by Karen McKevitt on Wed, Apr 13, 2011
in News
We serve their cookies and biscotti at our concessions counter. We've hosted them countless times at our free tastings. Now, we're thrilled to hear that Semifreddi's won a Small Business of the Year award! Senator Loni Hancock selected Semifreddi's, which is located in her district (9), indicating that the company "exemplifies it is indeed possible to be a successful business that gives back to the community, provides fair employment opportunities, and promotes environmental sustainability."
On June 6, Semifreddi's will receive the award at a California Small Business Association luncheon in Sacramento. Congratulations!
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Apple and Intel stop using conflict minerals
posted by Karen McKevitt on Tue, Apr 5, 2011
in News , Our shows
Yesterday, Fast Company reported that Apple and Intel, two of several companies involved in the Conflict-Free Smelter program, have stopped using conflict minerals, and in its article references Bloomberg, which reports, among other things, that the SEC will issue regulations this month to stem the purchase of these minerals: "U.S. companies will be required to audit mineral supplies next year to identify purchases that may be tainted by the Congo fighting, according to draft SEC regulations."
We've blogged about conflict minerals a few times, and it's pretty cool to see these reports come out during the last week of performances of Ruined in our Roda Theatre.
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Anna Deavere Smith goes to Washington (again)
posted by Karen McKevitt on Thu, Mar 31, 2011
in News
She'll be here at Berkeley Rep with her new show, Let Me Down Easy, at the end of May, but on Wednesday Anna Deavere Smith was invited to the White House by First Lady Michelle Obama as part of a Women's History Month event.
Read more in the Chicago Sun-Times -- here's an excerpt:
"Mrs. Obama will bring together more than twenty accomplished women, each paving their way in a variety of fields, to serve as mentors and share their experiences with students in the Washington, D.C. metro area. These women will showcase the important role mentoring can play in the lives of young people as they encourage all students, particularly young women, to pursue their dreams."
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Playing with PlayGround
posted by Karen McKevitt on Tue, Mar 29, 2011
in Events , News
PlayGround, a new-play development organization dedicated to local playwrights, has been holding monthly Monday night readings at our Thrust Stage for years. It’s an awesome organization that’s ushered critically acclaimed new plays and even offers grants to local theatre companies to produce a world premiere by a PlayGround playwright. (Full disclosure: my husband is one of those playwrights.)
Well, their annual Benefit & Awards Night is coming up on Monday, April 11 at the elegant Claremont Hotel -- and it features a fireside chat with none other than our own Artistic Director Tony Taccone along with Cal Shakes Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone and local playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb (who currently has the most produced play in the country save for Shakespeare and Charles Dickens).
The annual benefit also features a reception and silent auction, dinner, the presentation of the 2011 PlayGround Emerging Playwright Awards, the June Anne Baker Prize, and PlayGround Fellowship. Learn more about the benefit and about PlayGround itself!
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Carrying a piece of the Congo in our pockets
posted by Karen McKevitt on Fri, Mar 25, 2011
in News
By Chloe Christman, Enough Project
Kate Vangeloff highlighted a short passage from Lynn Nottage’s Ruined in her blog post on coltan in eastern Congo, “The troublous columbite-tantalite,” which reminded me of what Mama M told me last October during my visit to the region:
We are aware now that we are victims of our minerals.
Mama M -- a human rights defender working to change perceptions and educate communities on rape in the North Kivu Province -- is not alone in this sentiment. Similar thoughts were echoed repeatedly by survivors of sexual violence, doctors and lawyers, men and women living in displacement camps, community leaders, all of whom had been touched in one way or another by the conflict that has claimed nearly six million lives in over a decade of fighting.
As Kate points out, coltan, or tantalum, abundant in eastern Congo, is central to our electronics products, together with tin and tungsten (making up what we call the 3Ts) and gold. Eastern Congo is home to the minerals that make our cell phones vibrate, laptops power on, and MP3 players function. They are also used by jewelry, aerospace, automotive, and defense industries, making them central to the technology that drives our businesses and communications infrastructure, our social engagement, and our national security.
The illicit trade in these conflict minerals is fueling today’s violence. The conflict stems from long-standing grievances, a state failing to protect its citizens, and the proliferation of multiple armed groups who thrive where rule of law is weak, but armed groups earn hundreds of millions of dollars each year in the minerals trade, and employ brutal tactics, including the widespread use of rape to control the population and destroy the social fabric of society. In fact, some of the worst attacks on communities take place near the largest mines, including a widely reported incident last summer of over 300 cases of rape within a period of just a few days in Walikale.
But where there is demand for conflict minerals, there can also be demand for minerals from eastern Congo that are not sourced from mines controlled by armed groups. And that is where we, as the end users of Congo’s conflict minerals, can actually play a role in helping end the violence. If we raise our voice to electronics companies demanding conflict-free products, they will respond by tracing, auditing, and certifying their supply chains to ensure conflict minerals do not end up in our products. This is consumer pressure worth using.
One way to voice this demand is visiting raisehopeforcongo.org/rankings to learn the steps electronics companies have -- or have not -- taken on conflict minerals and send them a message that you as a consumer of their products demand more. Together, we can help eliminate the economic incentive to wage war in eastern Congo, and work to create a space where Congo’s resources are not fueling the deadliest conflict since World War II.
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Announcing our 2011-12 season
posted by Karen McKevitt on Wed, Mar 9, 2011
in News
What has three world premieres, some Rita Moreno and some Moliere, and is topped off with Red? Why, Berkeley Rep’s 2011-12 Main Season! Yep, we officially announced it this morning, and here’s the skinny:
Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup
World premiere
Written by Tony Taccone
Directed by David Galligan
September 2 – October 30, 2011
How to Write a New Book for the Bible
World premiere
Written by Bill Cain
Directed by Kent Nicholson
October 7 – November 20, 2011
Ghost Light
World-premiere production
Conceived and developed by Jonathan Moscone and Tony Taccone
Written by Tony Taccone
Directed by Jonathan Moscone
January 6 – February 19, 2012
A Doctor in Spite of Himself
Written by Molière
Adapted by Christopher Bayes and Steven Epp
Directed by Christopher Bayes
February 10 – March 25, 2012
Red
Written by John Logan
Directed by Les Waters
March 16 – April 29, 2012
And, we have two Limited Season plays that we’ll be announcing soon!
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Special events with human rights orgs
posted by Karen McKevitt on Tue, Mar 8, 2011
in News , Our shows
Guest blogger and Berkeley Rep Fellow Jennifer Wills offers this post today, International Women's Day:
As the 2010-11 Bret C. Harte Directing Fellow, I came to Berkeley Rep looking for proof to my belief that theatre really does have an impact, that maybe it can make a difference. What I’m learning is that while creating or watching theatre does not usually change the world directly, it does have the potential to change people’s perceptions of the world, and that could change a lot.
Today is International Women’s Day, a global day when women and men all over the world celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present and future. Here at Berkeley Rep we are celebrating today with our production of Ruined, Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play that gives voice to women of the Congo. In sharing their stories she also gives voice to women around the world who find themselves as victims and survivors of rape, war, and abuse.
As artist-activists, Berkeley Rep is teaming with several human rights groups in the Northern California area and beyond to offer you more opportunities to learn. Tonight, we are hosting a pre-show discussion with Anneke Van Woudenberg, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch who spends a lot of time on the ground with women like those in Ruined. Or come to one of our many other events this month and next:
- March 17: post-show discussion with our staff or speak to representatives from Women for Women International who will be in our lobby to answer your questions
- March 22: post-show discussion with International Medical Corps
- April 4: our free Page to Stage series featuring a panel on human rights with speakers from Human Rights Watch, Global Fund for Women, Cal Human Rights Center and International Medical Corps
- April 6: post-show discussion with International Rescue Committee
Find more information about these events on our site.